Some would consider the idea of creating a massive virtual world beyond
the reach of the independent game designer. The attendees of the first
annual Indie MMO Game Developers Conference held on April 14th and 15th
at the Minneapolis Convention center didn't get that memo.

Speakers and attendees took part in a two-day dialogue that explored
history, philosophies and techniques of massively multiplayer game
makers working outside the commercial realm. Keynotes from Dr. Richard
Bartle, co-creator of MUD, and Josh Williams, CEO of GarageGames set
the tone each day.

The event, though modestly attended, was marked by the notable
enthusiasm of participants. Each day offered two tracks worth of panels
and round table discussions. The game design track focused on the
creative side of world making. The free-for-all debate in “Class
Systems Versus Skills Systems” found many designers seeking ways to
sidestep MMO orthodoxy.

On the business track, the discussion entitled “The Real Life of
Indie Executive Producers,” led by Rhea Studios' Eric Rhea, helped
clarify the roles of the producer – details that proved informative to
designers who wore nearly all the hats in their development team.

Most speakers attended many of the talks, making the dialogue
day-long. Dr. Bartle piped in a horror story when the subject of bad
player behavior came up during Kelly Heckman's “Community Management”
talk. One of the more well-attended round tables was the “Sex in MMOs”
discussion hosted by Black Love Interactive's Kelly Rued.

While most game makers conceded that sex would occur in their games
whether they liked it or not, few could muster the courage to make it a
key game play element. Many cited public perception as the main
deterrent, claiming that they had a hard enough time explaining to
family and friends that they spent their time making a video game, let
alone one that could be considered pornographic.

Bartle too moderated a well-attended round table entitled
“Slaughtering Sacred Cows,” in which the influential designer invited
the audience to examine the idea of persistent worlds, understand why
certain game mechanics have become gospel and try to find new ways to
achieve similar goals.

The two day event was organized and hosted by Minneapolis game developer Last Straw – best known for Simian Escape,
one of XNA Challenge games from GDC 2007. Sponsors and attending
vendors included Dream Games, Multiverse, 3spadeFX, Brown College and
GarageGames.

Read on for more in-depth coverage of IMGDC panels and keynotes as
well as an interview with designer Celia Pearce from Georgia Tech's
Emergent Game Group.

Page 1 of 4

Related Jobs

WB Games —
San Francisco,
California,
United States
[07.31.15]
Game Director